Hurricanes' Staal undergoes surgery

<p>Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal underwent surgery for a core muscle injury he suffered during offseason training and is expected to be ready for the start of training camp.</p>

Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal underwent surgery for a core muscle injury he suffered during offseason training and is expected to be ready for the start of training camp.

The procedure was performed by Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia.

"Eric notified us of the injury late last week, and flew to Raleigh and then Philadelphia to be evaluated," said Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis in a statement Tuesday. "By having this procedure now, Dr. Meyers believes Eric will be able to return to action for training camp and be at full health for the start of the regular season."

Staal will enter his 11th NHL season with Carolina and last year notched 21 goals with team bests of 40 assists and 61 points in 79 games. He has 289 goals and 399 assists for 688 points in 769 games.

The 29-year-old Ontario native was selected by the Hurricanes with the second overall pick of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and was named captain in January 2010. He is a four-time All-Star and helped the Hurricanes to the 2006 Stanley Cup title, also winning Olympic gold with Team Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Games.